Arsenal need striker with Theo Walcott's speed and Giroud's strength

It's an odd thing, momentum. Very difficult to gain and extremely easy to lose. And when it is lost, the consequences can be severe. You only had to look at the face of Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, after last night’s anaemic 1-1 draw with Southampton to know that.

After a run of four successive wins, Wenger would have expected far more than this display on the south coast but it will surely be his striking options — or, rather, lack of them — that will concern him most heading into the January transfer window.

Put simply, Wenger has two players that offer such different qualities that the team have not fully adapted to either of them.

Theo Walcott is finally getting his chance at centre-forward but the pace and dynamism that he possesses will only flicker intermittently in a game such as this, rather than dominate.

His potential replacement, Olivier Giroud, is all height and muscularity but lacks the subtlety others provide.

Statistics are odd things, too. Arsenal have scored 40 goals in 20 Premier League games so far, a healthy enough return and better than they have managed at this stage of the season in four of the past eight years.

Yet that figure is skewed by the four occasions in which Arsenal have put opponents to the sword: when they scored seven against Newcastle, six against Southampton at home and five each against Tottenham and Reading.

A total of 17 in their remaining 16 games is a less impressive figure and is rather a truer reflection of Arsenal’s attacking threat this season.

The strikers should not solely be held accountable, though, certainly not in their preferred 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formation that demands more than it should of the spearhead.

In games where teams are tiring or hold a high line (Newcastle and Reading) Walcott makes hay. In matches where sides defend deep and allow Arsenal space in wide areas (Tottenham and Southampton) Giroud profits.

Yesterday, though, was the sort of match in which Walcott was always likely to toil, as he did at Wigan in the last away game. That he did not see the ball until the half-hour mark was instructive, with Wenger admitting, “He didn’t get enough service”.

That neither has been able to sufficiently replace Robin van Persie is also hardly a surprise. With the possible exception of Falcao, the Dutchman has no peer as a pure striker in world football at present.

Yet Wenger’s team are evolving and January offers another chance to continue this process.

Having decided that Thierry Henry should not be brought back for a third spell at the club, Wenger will look again at forwards. The suspicion is that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar used Arsenal’s interest as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Schalke but Wenger should not stick with what he has.

Indeed, it remains ever more perplexing why the Frenchman does not follow up his interest in Demba Ba, whose release clause is set at £7.5million. Reports yesterday suggested the total package, which would include transfer fee, signing-on fee, money paid to advisers and wages spread over his contract, would amount to £28m.

A large sum, yes, but Arsenal are thought to have around £40m to spend in January and are clearly in need of a player who combines both Walcott’s and Giroud’s finest qualities. The Newcastle man would be a fine fit but it seems that Wenger is instead pressing ahead with a £12m offer for Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez.

And with the next month presenting a series of intimidating obstacles, Wenger is likely to need more options.

It is not for the faint hearted, with Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Swansea followed by Premier League games with Manchester City, Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool.

Tottenham, Arsenal’s closest challengers for fourth, host Manchester United later this month but do not then play another top side until they meet their north London rivals on March 2. By then, Arsenal could be cut adrift in the race for fourth. If they play as they did last night, that is almost certain. Arsenal had one shot on target in the entire game and were indebted to Guly Do Prado for putting through his own net to rescue a point.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struggling on his return to his old club and Lukas Podolski — a player Wenger has refused to play through the middle — below par, Arsenal lacked dynamism and energy. When Wenger accused his players of not having enough desire, it was hard not to agree.

Yet complacency was equally to blame, as Arsenal’s players looked to each other to make the difference.

The horrific defending by Podolski and Bacary Sagna that allowed Southampton to open the scoring through Gaston Ramirez can be dealt with on the training ground.

Yet adding further options up front should be exercising most of Wenger’s thoughts. The momentum has been lost but Wenger has the power to keep Arsenal moving forward.